Gator News and World Report (7/14/2006)

David Shepherd

07/14/2006

The Gator News and World Report for Friday, July 14, 2006. CATCHING UP WITH...Walsh keeps his eyes on future; Gators load up on class of 2007; Graves' Golden Decision Set Up 'Silver Sixties'; 'The Kick' Was Spurrier's Heisman Moment; Coach questions Florida's motives and more...

Florida Gator

Graves' Golden Decision Set Up 'Silver Sixties'
Florida Field's atmosphere was frenzied. Thirty-three seconds remained, and the Florida Gators had just scored on a fourth-down play to pull within one point of No. 10-ranked Georgia Tech.

Casares Always A Man Among Boys
Rick Casares had choices. He was offered a shot at professional boxing. With some practice, maybe he could have become an Olympian in the javelin. In 1950, as he sat in the swank University of Kentucky basketball office, the words seemed intoxicating.

Can Crowder be the next Thomas?
When the Miami Dolphins (led by Jimmy Johnson) drafted linebacker Zach Thomas in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft, the franchise couldn't have possibly known that they were finding a building block that would become the heart and soul of their defense for over a decade.

Gators load up on class of 2007
Florida added a little size to its incoming recruiting 2007 class, gaining a commitment from an athletic big man from the St. Louis area.

Gators nab top recruit
Should Joakim Noah or Al Horford bolt for the NBA next summer, the Gators might be ready.

Coach questions Florida's motives
One of the off-season's more intriguing recruiting sagas ended this week when prospect Doneal Mack reluctantly cut his ties to Florida and signed with Memphis. Shortly thereafter, Mack's high school coach accused Florida of casting aside the player to make room for another prospect. Florida Coach Billy Donovan denied the accusation, saying he and Mack were at the mercy of the school's stringent academic rule regarding college entrance exams. Mack's father accepted Donovan's explanation and noted the "great relationship" that existed between the family and Florida's coaches. Meanwhile, Kentucky stood empty-handed after offering scholarships to both Mack and the other prospect, forward Dan Werner.

Hounding high schoolers and dancing with dwarfs
When Al Horford (8), Corey Brewer (9), Taurean Green (10) and Chris Richard (11) walked into the gym, it reinforced how much talent the Gators return from their national championship team -- and that's not including the star of the show from their last trip to Indy, preseason national Player of the Year favorite Joakim Noah (12).